During an intake interview, which response would be most helpful to establish rapport and explore the client's concerns?

• A. Let's focus on your memory.
• B. I will need to do a mental status exam now.
• C. Perhaps you can start by sharing some of your most recent concerns.
• D. Do you have any past diagnoses?

Answer: (C)

Opening the interview with an open, client-centered prompt is the best way to build trust and begin exploring what matters to the client. By inviting the client to share some of their most recent concerns in their own words, you communicate respect for their perspective and set a collaborative tone. This approach helps you understand their current priorities, daily functioning, and what they hope to change, which guides the rest of the assessment and creates a natural path for asking more detailed, focused questions later.

This stance also makes space for the client to reveal safety concerns, emotional state, and contextual factors that contribute to their presenting problems, all without feeling boxed in by clinical labels or tests. In contrast, suggesting a mental status exam upfront can feel intrusive and may put distance between you and the client. Asking about past diagnoses centers on labels rather than the client’s present experience, which can undermine rapport. Asking about memory directly focuses the conversation on cognitive issues before you’ve established trust, potentially narrowing the exploration too early.